Old/New Testament
Abner Changes Loyalties
3 After this, a state of protracted war existed between Saul’s dynasty and David’s dynasty, and the dynasty of David continued to grow and become strong while the dynasty of Saul continued to grow weaker. 2 During this time, sons were born to David while he was living in Hebron. His firstborn was Amnon by Ahinoam from Jezreel, 3 his second was Chileab by Abigail, widow of Nabal from Carmel, his third was Absalom by Maacah, daughter of King Talmai from Geshur, 4 his fourth was Adonijah by Haggith, his fifth was Shephatiah by Abital, 5 and his sixth was Ithream by David’s wife Eglah. They were all[a] born to David in Hebron.
6 While war continued between the dynasties of Saul and David, Abner was growing in influence within the dynasty of Saul. 7 Meanwhile, Saul had a mistress[b] named Rizpah, who was the[c] daughter of Aiah. Ish-bosheth[d] asked Abner, “Why did you have sex with my father’s mistress?”
8 What Ish-bosheth[e] said made Abner furious, so he replied, “A dog’s head for Judah—is that what I am? Up until today I’ve kept on showing loyalty to your father Saul’s dynasty, to his relatives and friends, and I haven’t turned you over to David, but you’re charging me today with moral guilt regarding this woman! 9 Therefore may God do to me[f]—and more also!—just as the Lord has promised to David, since I’m doing this for him: 10 I will take away the kingdom from the dynasty of Saul by making the throne of David firm over Israel and Judah—from Dan to Beer-sheba!”
11 Ish-bosheth[g] couldn’t say another word in response to Abner, because he was terrified of him. 12 So Abner sent messengers to David at Hebron to ask him, “Who owns this land? Cut a deal[h] with me, and look!—I’ll lend my hand in bringing all of Israel over to you!”
13 David replied, “Sounds good to me! I’ll cut a deal[i] with you under one condition: you’re not to show yourself in my presence unless you bring Saul’s daughter with you when you come to see me.” 14 Then David sent a delegation to Saul’s son Ish-bosheth to say, “Give me my wife Michal, to whom I was engaged with a dowry of 100 Philistine foreskins.”[j]
15 So Ish-bosheth ordered that she be taken away from her husband, Laish’s son Paltiel. 16 Her husband accompanied her, crying as he followed after her all the way to Bahurim, where Abner told him, “Leave! Go back!” So he went back.
David’s Dynasty is Strengthened
17 Later, Abner had a talk with the elders of Israel. He said, “In the past you were looking to see David made king over you. 18 So do it, then! Because the Lord has said this about David:
‘Through my servant David I will save my people Israel
from the control of the Philistines
and from all of their enemies.’”
19 Abner also addressed the tribe of Benjamin. Furthermore, with David’s permission,[k] Abner said anything that seemed like it would be good for Israel and for the entire tribe of Benjamin.
20 Afterwards, Abner brought 20 soldiers to David at Hebron, and David threw a party for Abner and the men who were with him. 21 So Abner told David, “Give me permission to go out and rally all of Israel to your majesty the king so they can enter into a formal agreement with you to reign over everything that your heart desires.” So David sent Abner off, and he went away in peace.
Joab Murders Abner
22 Right about then, David’s servants returned from a raid, bringing plenty of war booty with them, but Abner wasn’t in Hebron with David, since David[l] had sent him away and Abner[m] had left in peace. 23 When Joab returned with his entire army, Joab was informed, “Ner’s son Abner visited the king, and he has dismissed him. He has left in peace.”
24 So Joab approached the king and asked him, “What have you done? Look, Abner came to you! What’s this? You sent him away? He’s long gone now! 25 You know Ner’s son Abner came to mislead you, to learn your troop movements,[n] and to learn everything you’re doing!”
26 As soon as Joab left David, Joab[o] sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the cistern at Sirah, but David was not aware of this. 27 When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab brought him aside within the gateway to talk to him alone and then stabbed him in the abdomen.[p] So he died for shedding[q] the blood of Joab’s[r] brother Asahel.
28 Later on, David found out about it and proclaimed, “Let me and my kingdom remain guiltless forever in the Lord’s presence for the death[s] of Ner’s son Abner. 29 May judgment[t] rest on Joab’s head and on his father’s entire household. May Joab’s dynasty never be without one who has a discharge,[u] who is a leper, who walks with a cane,[v] who commits suicide,[w] or who lacks food!” 30 He said this[x] because Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner after he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.
31 David ordered Joab and all the people who were with him, “Tear your clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourn for Abner.” King David walked behind the funeral procession, 32 and they buried Abner at Hebron. The king wept loudly at Abner’s grave, and all the people wept, too. 33 The king composed this mourning song for Abner:
“Should Abner’s death be like a fool’s?
34 Your hands were not bound,
nor were your feet in irons.
As one falls before the wicked,
you have fallen.”
Then all the people cried again because of him. 35 Everyone tried to persuade David to have a meal while there was still daylight, but David took an oath by saying, “May God to do like this to me and more, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets!”
36 Everybody took note of this and was very pleased, just as everything else the king did pleased everyone. 37 As a result, the entire army and all of Israel understood that day that the king had nothing to do with the murder of Ner’s son Abner.
38 The king reminded his staff,[y] “Don’t you know that a prince and a great man has fallen today in Israel? 39 Today, even though I’m anointed as king, I’m weak. These men, sons of Zeruiah, are too difficult[z] for me. May the Lord repay the one who acts wickedly in accordance with his wickedness!”
The Murder of Ish-bosheth
4 When Saul’s son heard that Abner had died in Hebron, his courage[aa] failed and all of Israel was disturbed. 2 Now Saul’s son had two officers in charge of some raiding parties. One was named Baanah and the other was named Rechab. They were sons of Rimmon, a descendant of Benjamin from Beeroth, which was considered to belong to the tribe of[ab] Benjamin. 3 (The residents of Beeroth had evacuated to Gittaim and live there as resident aliens to this day.)
4 Meanwhile, Saul’s son Jonathan had a son whose feet were crippled. When he was five years old, news had arrived about Saul and Jonathan from Jezreel, and his nurse picked him up to flee, but in her hurry to leave, he happened to fall and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.[ac]
5 Rechab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, left and arrived during the hottest part of the day at the home of Ish-bosheth while he was taking a noon day nap. 6 They entered the house as though they intended to obtain some grain and stabbed him in the abdomen. Then Rechab and his brother Baanah escaped. 7 While they were in the house, they struck him, killed him, and cut off his head while he was lying on his bed in his bedroom. They took his head, and traveled all night along the Arabah road.
David Punishes the Killers of Ish-bosheth
8 They brought Ish-bosheth’s head to David at Hebron and told the king, “Look! Here’s the head of your enemy Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, who sought your life. Today the Lord has given your majesty the king vengeance on Saul and his descendants.”[ad]
9 David responded to Rechab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite: “As the Lord lives, who has saved my life in every adversity, 10 when the man who told me ‘Look! Saul is dead!’ thought he was bringing me good news, I arrested him and had him killed at Ziklag as the reward I gave him for his news. 11 How much worse will it be, then, when evil men kill an innocent man on his own bed in his own house! Shouldn’t I avenge his blood—which you are responsible for shedding[ae]—by removing you from the earth?” 12 So David commanded his personal guards,[af] and they killed Rechab and Baanah,[ag] cut off their hands and feet, and hung up their bodies beside the pool at Hebron. They took Ish-bosheth’s head and buried it in Abner’s tomb at Hebron.
David Becomes King over Israel(A)
5 After this, all of the tribes of Israel assembled with David at Hebron and declared, “Look, we’re your own flesh and blood![ah] 2 Even back when Saul was our king, it was you who kept on leading Israel out to battle[ai] and bringing them back again.[aj] The Lord told you, ‘You yourself will shepherd my people Israel and serve as Commander-in-Chief[ak] over Israel.’” 3 So all the elders of Israel approached the king at Hebron, where King David entered into a covenant with them in the presence of the Lord. Then they anointed David to be king over Israel.
David Establishes Jerusalem as His Capital(B)
4 David began to reign when he was 30 years old, and he reigned 40 years. 5 He reigned over Judah for seven years and six months in Hebron, and he reigned over all of Israel including Judah for 33 years in Jerusalem. 6 Later, the king and his army marched on Jerusalem against the Jebusites, who were inhabiting the territory at that time[al] and who had told David, “You’re not coming in here! Even the blind and the lame could turn you away!” because they were thinking[am] “David can’t come here.” 7 Even so, David captured the stronghold of Zion, which is now known as[an] the City of David.
8 At that time,[ao] David had said, “Whoever intends to attack the Jebusites will have to climb up the water shaft to attack the lame and blind, who hate David.”[ap]
Therefore they say, “The blind and lame are never to come into the house.” 9 David occupied[aq] the fortress, naming it the City of David. He[ar] built up the surroundings from the terrace ramparts[as] inward. 10 David became more and more esteemed because the Lord God of the Heavenly Armies was with him.
11 Later, King Hiram of Tyre sent a delegation to David, accompanied by cedar[at] logs, carpenters, and stone masons. They built a palace for David. 12 So David concluded[au] that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and that he had exalted his kingdom in order to benefit his people Israel. 13 But after arriving in Jerusalem after leaving Hebron, David took more wives and mistresses,[av] and more sons and daughters were born to David. 14 These are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, 16 Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.
David Battles the Philistines(C)
17 When the Philistines eventually learned that Israel[aw] had anointed David to be king over Israel, they marched out in search of him.[ax] But David heard about it and retreated to his stronghold. 18 Meanwhile, the Philistines arrived and encamped in the Rephaim Valley, 19 so David asked the Lord, “Am I to go attack the Philistines? Will you give me victory over them?”[ay]
“Go get them,” the Lord replied to David, “because I’m going to put the Philistines right into your hand!”
20 So David went to Baal-perazim and defeated them there. He called the place Baal-perazim,[az] because he said, “Like a bursting flood, the Lord has jumped out in front of me to fight my enemies.” 21 The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his army carried them off.
22 Later, the Philistines once again marched out and encamped in the Rephaim Valley. 23 When David asked the Lord about it, he said, “Don’t attack them directly. Instead, go around to the rear and attack them opposite those balsam trees. 24 When you hear the sound of marching coming from the tops of the balsam trees, then be sure to act quickly, since the Lord will have gone out ahead of you to cut down the Philistine army.” 25 So David did exactly what the Lord ordered him to do, and he struck down the Philistines from Geba to Gezer.
The Cost of Discipleship(A)
25 Now large crowds were traveling with Jesus.[a] He turned and told them, 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters, as well as his own life, he can’t be my disciple. 27 Whoever doesn’t carry his cross and follow me can’t be my disciple.
28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. He will first sit down and estimate the cost to see whether he has enough money to finish it, won’t he? 29 Otherwise, if he lays a foundation and can’t finish the building,[b] everyone who watches will begin to ridicule him 30 and say, ‘This person started a building but couldn’t finish it.’
31 “Or suppose a king is going to war against another king. He will first sit down and consider whether with 10,000 men he can fight the one coming against him with 20,000 men, won’t he? 32 If he can’t, he will send a delegation to ask for terms of peace while the other king[c] is still far away. 33 In the same way, none of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions.”
Tasteless Salt(B)
34 “Now, salt is good. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can its flavor be restored? 35 It’s suitable neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. People[d] throw it away. Let the person who has ears to hear, listen!”
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